COURTS: How your $35 speeding ticket becomes a $235 fine

Court officials say that San Diego County law enforcement agencies have recently been issuing fewer tickets than in the past, but it may provide little comfort to the hundreds of thousands of motorists who received one last year.

California's fine for speeding starts at $35. But San Diego County drivers can expect to pay at least $235, thanks to court fees, a state surcharge and increasingly hefty penalty assessments ---- extra dollars tacked on to fund local and state programs.

California is a pioneer in adding fees to traffic fines, with some of the most expensive traffic tickets in the nation, critics say.

Outside the Vista traffic court on a recent morning, ticket recipients shared their tales of surprise and woe.

Carmen Magana, 25, of San Marcos was pulled over on a day she had mistakenly left her proof of insurance at home. She was insured at the time, and brought proof to the courthouse to satisfy her "fix-it" ticket.

But she was shocked to learn she still had to pay $75 in fees, she said.

"Oh my god, California is just full of fees," Magana said. "It's a beautiful state. I love the weather (so) I put up with the fees."

Finer points

On the surface, California's traffic fines seem reasonable, if not low.

The base fine for a speeding ticket for those going up to 15 mph over the limit is about $35. For talking on a cellphone, it's $20. Most of the base fine goes to the city and county where the offense occurred.

But that's only the beginning.

A penalty assessment then multiplies that base fine, and additional fees increase it further.

California lawmakers added the first penalty assessment in the late 1950s or early 1960s. It was an extra $1 for every $20 of base fine that went to fund driver's training programs at schools, according to a state Assembly report.

The fees have climbed dramatically since ---- especially over the last decade.

In 2002, the penalty assessment was $17 for every $10 fine, or fraction thereof, according to state court documents.

In other words, a $10 fine turned into $27, and an $11 fine turned into $44. There was also a $1 flat fee to fund night court programs.

Today, the penalty assessment is nearly double the 2002 amount, adding $30 for every $10 of original fine, or fraction thereof, according to state court documents.

It includes $10 for state programs, $9 for the county, $5 to fund state court construction, $4 to fund DNA identification programs and a $2 surcharge that goes directly to the state's general fund.

Fees add up

But wait, there's more.

Over the last decade, state lawmakers have also added several flat fees: a $40 court operations assessment, a $35 criminal conviction assessment for infractions, and a $4 fee to fund emergency medical air transportation.

So that hypothetical $10 base fine balloons to $120. A $100 fine explodes to $480.

That doesn't include the additional $55 fee for those requesting traffic school ---- on top of the cost of the class.